Those in the business of rice importation under the aegis of Rice Millers, Importers and Distributors Association of Nigeria have lauded the National Assembly over their intervention. The importers were asked to pay $190 per metric ton as import duty. This they said was too much as it was putting their members out of business. They said it had resulted into huge loss of revenue for the country as shipments were diverted to neighboring Benin Republic.

They said the house's good act will go a long way in boosting food sufficiency in the country as both the forward and backward ends of the government's agricultural policy stand to gain from the intervention. They also said 17 vessels were stuck on the high seas due to high tariffs and they didn't want to be involved in smuggling as they are patriotic citizens. They thanked the house for allowing them make their submission.